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RésuméCet article propose une analyse de la culture sportive des chefs d’État argentins entre les années 1880 et 1990. Le sport est devenu un phénomène social, culturel et médiatique massif, face auquel les dirigeants politiques ne sont pas restés indifférents. L’organisation de la Coupe du monde de football en 1978 lors de la dictature la plus iolente qu’ait connue l’Argentine est restée dans les mémoires comme un exemple d’instrumentalisation extrême du sport par un pouvoir en quête de légitimité. Mais au-delà de ce cas, les hommes politiques argentins entretinrent des rapports au sport bien plus divers. Sportifs, spectateurs assidus, promoteurs du sport, ils révèlent la complexité à l’œuvre au sein de la culture sportive argentine au cours du XXe siècle.

“Politics on the Ground: Argentinean Heads of State and Sports Culture from the 1880s to the 1990s” This article offers an analysis of the sport culture fostered by Argentinean heads of state between the 1880s and the 1990s. Sport became a widespread social and cultural phenomenon that was central in mass media, and statesmen did not remain indifferent to it. The organization of the Football World Cup in 1978, under the most violent dictatorship Argentina ever knew, is still remembered as an example of how sports can be utilized by powerful leaders in quest of legitimacy. However, the links between Argentinean politicians and sports were much more diverse and should not be reduced to the limited scope of the World Cup. As sportsmen, regular spectators or promoters of sports, Argentinean heads of state revealed how complex sporting culture was throughout the 20th century.